Remember how we were in New York City when the world shut down in March of 2020? Well, throughout the COVID shutdown I obsessively kept up with what was happening in the city. I needed a hobby and that became one of them. 🙂 So as soon as I read that NYC was officially “reopened” to tourists in late May, I booked a trip for the day after Kingston got our of school for the summer. And even though the city felt different than it has over the last decade (grittier?!) it was so good to be back! During our visit, there was an intense heat wave with temps getting up into the 90s each day. So we dressed cool, ate lots of ice cream, and made the most of it!
We explored for a week, visiting some of our favorite spots and also checking out some new experiences! Here are a few highlights:
– Rode the Roosevelt Island Tram. It’s a bright red aerial tramway that spans the East River and connects Roosevelt Island to the Upper East Side of Manhattan. We caught the tram at 59th Street and Second Avenue and enjoyed the views during the 4 minute ride over to Roosevelt Island. We always buy an unlimited metro card, so the $2.25 ride was included.
– Checked out Little Island, the city’s newest park. I wrote a whole post about it here!
– People watched at Bethesda Fountain and The Mall, our favorite spots in central park.
– Recreated one of our favorite pictures with one of Kingston’s llamas. 🙂
– Continued our tradition of getting a family picture in the photo booth at The Smith.
– Rode a helicopter all around Manhattan! I cannot recommend this experience enough – posted all about that here.
– Stayed at Hotel 50 Bowery in Chinatown for the first time, and we LOVED the property. Our room was HUGE and that’s so rare in NYC.
– Spent an afternoon exploring Industry City in Brooklyn. It’s an old warehouse complex that’s been converted to a vibrant hub for dining, art, and seasonal entertainment. The space collaborates with artists to not only bring art to the walls of Industry City, but also decorate with temporary installations. It has a similar vibe to LX Factory in Lisbon. One of the biggest things we noticed was how quiet and peaceful the area feels in contrast to Manhattan. It also has lots of green space in the courtyards between buildings with areas designed for relaxing, dining, and playing mini-golf, sitting around fire pits, and even outdoor yoga classes.
– Cheated on our old favorite, Doughnut Plant, and tried the croissant donuts at Donut Pub. They were amazing – worth it!!!
– Watched a commercial being filmed in Washington Square Park. It’s so much fun walking up on random film crews and watching all the behind-the-scenes action.
-Visited Showfields “the most interesting store in the world” and got the biggest kick out of all the outrageous art installations!
– Stopped by Carrie Bradshaw’s SATC apartment.
– Got caught in a summer storm in Times Square and bought an umbrella that Anderson is so proud of, because he negotiated a respectable price for it. 🙂 If you ever see him with an umbrella, ask where he got it then sit back and enjoy the story!
– Caught some gorgeous sunsets that lined up perfectly between the skyscrapers.
And did I mention we ate a ton of ice cream? If you visit NYC in the summer, be prepared to sweat and make the most of it – because New York is ALWAYS a good idea!
